


Steele Charade

by tianaluthien



Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Happily Ever After, Honeymoon, Ireland, Post-Series, Steele & Laura quote movies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 13:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5745589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tianaluthien/pseuds/tianaluthien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She loves Ireland.</p>
<p>Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say she loves what she’s found in Ireland. (set just after the series finale "Steeled With a Kiss")</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steele Charade

She loves Ireland.

It’s damp and rainy, but it has more shades of green than she knew existed and when the sun _does_ shine it has a mischievous quality all its own, not unlike a certain Irishman she knows.

She loves Ireland.

Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say she loves what she’s found in Ireland.

The morning after they finally slept together, she woke up to two things: someone’s arms curled possessively around her, and the sudden urge to laugh. To laugh and not stop because she couldn’t ever remember a time she’d been this happy.

She must have moved or made some noise, because the man behind her stirred. A breath of air tickled her ear and then his face was above her, his blue eyes bright and sleepy, hair tousled.

“Good morning, Mrs. Steele,” he said, mouth quirking in a smile.

Then she did laugh.

And she hasn’t stopped.

Neither has the phone.

She thinks it’s funny how things changed all in one night. Or, perhaps it’s how they went back to the way they’ve always been or always should have been: her and Mr. Steele and no one between them. So the phone rings. She knows it’s Tony but she lets Mildred handle it; Mildred always takes a special delight in telling Tony that “Mr. and Mrs. Steele are not to be disturbed, but I’ll be happy to take a message.”

“You will have to talk to him at some point,” Steele says, dryly. “Avoiding difficult conversations isn’t like you.”

She knows he’s right – it’s still unnerving that he knows her so well – but she’s on her honeymoon, dammit, and she doesn’t want to deal with Tony.

She’s not sure why, so she tries not to think of it. Just like she tries not to think about why she doesn’t want to leave Ireland though she knows they have to; their flight date is coming up far too soon.

“What’s wrong?” Steele asks.

It’s about noon and that mischievous golden sun has poked his face out. They’re sitting on a bench in the garden (the bench is actually dry), and her head is pillowed on his lap, his arms around her. Long fingers gently stroke her hair. She loves it when he holds her this way. It makes her feel like nothing bad can happen.

She sighs and his arms tighten.

“Laura.” He sounds worried.

“I don’t want this to end,” she says at last, and squeezes his hand. “I…I don’t want this to be a _Roman Holiday_.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Paramount 1953. Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck. A young princess runs away for a few days and falls in love with a newspaper reporter.”

“But it’s a holiday,” she says softly. “And in the end they can’t be together. Reality gets between them once it’s over.”

“Ah.” He smiles, then, if a little crookedly. “I was thinking it was more like _Charade._ ”

“ _Charade_.” It’s an Audrey film, so of course she knows it but she has to think for minute. “Universal, 1961?”

“1963,” he corrects, watching her carefully. “Go on.”

“Universal, 1963. Carey Grant, Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn teams up with Carey Grant, who has four different names,” she can’t help but smile here, “in order to solve her husband’s murder and recover the fortune he stole.” She stops, thinking. Steele is still watching her. “Unless you’ve stolen a fortune I don’t know about, I don’t follow.”

He smiles again, though it’s still a little crooked, and reaches into the pocket of his sweater. “I was thinking more about Grant’s character.” He hands her the piece of paper. “I found this in Daniel’s suitcase.”

His hand is shaking as she takes the paper and she frowns up at him, wishing she could call him something that belongs to him. “What’s wrong?”

He nods at the paper. “Open it.”

Now she’s worried.

Slowly, she unfolds the paper. A quick glance is all she needs. She inhales sharply.

“This—it’s—" 

“Yes.”

It’s a birth certificate. _His_ birth certificate. And written in old-fashioned gothic lettering is the name _Harrison Chalmers._  

“I should have guessed,” he says, with a bit of a laugh. “Daniel never would call me anything except ‘Harry’.”

“Harrison,” she says, trying out the name. “Harry.” Oddly, she likes ‘Harry’ better. But then, it’s _his_ name. “What do you want me to call you?”

Sadness flickers across his face. “Harry. Please.”

She smiles and folds up the paper again. “Then, Harry, what does this have to do with _Charade_?”

“Grant has four names, but he gives Hepburn his real name at the end.” He pauses and it comes to her that he’s nervous. “And then he says he’ll put it on the marriage license.”

She’s so startled she can hardly speak.

“I know we’ve only started,” he goes on, rushing now, “and I’m sorry we started the way we did, but I’m not going anywhere, Laura, and reality is what _kept_ Hepburn and Grant together and—”

She stops him with a hand over his mouth. She’s still terrified and that might last a while. But he’s quoting movies again, so that must be a good sign. 

“You know I’m a wreck,” she says, and rubs her thumb over his lips when the light in his eyes starts to dim. “But what did Audrey say at the end of the film?”

The change in his face is startling; he looks so boyishly hopeful it makes her want to laugh and cry all at the same time.

“She said yes. And that she loved him,” he says, his voice hoarse, “no matter what his name was.”

She takes a deep breath. They’ve come this far and Tony can’t hold a candle to this, not when she really thinks about it. “And there’s your answer.”

He kisses her then, deep and long, his fingers running down her neck. She kisses him back, trying to show him she means what she says.

It won’t be easy, she knows that. But if she looks at his actions he’s always been there when it mattered most, and now it’s up to her to make sure _her_ words and actions match up – she knows she’s been remiss. But she remembers the movie, and Cary and Audrey argued and fought as much as they loved and reality kept them together.

And now it’s their turn, hers and Harry’s. They’re turning their charade into  _Charade_ and that, she finds, is more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm possibly in the minority, but I actually *liked* season 5. I thought the ending was really sweet and the phone ringing at the end just had me laughing, because all I could think was "Suck it, Tony. She's not answering." >:) Laura had clearly made her choice. So this tag scene is Laura attempting to lay to rest her insecurities as she realizes she might have been a little hard, at times, on Harry. Hope you enjoy. Comments are love :)


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